Scandinavia has always been famous for
its music particularly that of a rock or metal persuasion. After all
it is the birthplace of some of the heaviest forms of heavy metal. In
recent years the region (and Sweden in particular) has produced some
excellent rock bands. Groups like Graveyard and Ghost spring to mind.
They are quite different from their American or British equivalents;
the idea of being ‘cool’ or ‘MTV pretty’ have little bearing
on them. One such band making a name for itself is Truckfighters.
Their name might seem ludicrous at first but it was carefully chosen
to sound as badass as possible. Can you picture what sort of man
fights trucks for a living? If you can manage that then can you
imagine what his band sounds like?
Universe is the band’s fourth album
and it continues to push the band’s beefed-up retro rock agenda.
Truckfighters are all about the power of riff and groove. They are
well versed in their Kyuss tapes and play the stoner rock shtick with
conviction. It becomes clear quickly that the amps that Truckfighters
use don’t just go up to 11, they start at 11 and go all the way up.
In an age where shit-kicking rock and roll is treated like an
anachronism from bygone days it is refreshing to hear a group just
rock out and have fun doing it.
Truckfighters are well known for their
explosive live performances and their albums are usually made to
reflect that boundless energy. This makes them fun records even if
they tend to play things a bit wild and loose. This is where Universe
differs. For the first time it sounds like they have set out to make
a ‘studio album’. The increase in production from their
well-received debut Gravity X to where they are today is staggering.
You’re certainly not going to mistake this for the latest Foo
Fighters of Kings of Leon piece of claptrap but the jump in quality
is hard to ignore. One major difference is how Ozo’s vocals sit in
the mix. On some of their older, classic tracks you can barely hear
him through the pounding pulse of the bass and drums. Sure, that
still happens in parts but don’t be surprised if you can hear some
of what he’s saying this time around.
The hazy mantra ‘Get Lifted’ allows
Truckfighters to drift boldly into prog rock territory without
sacrificing their sheer visceral power for an intellectual high. But
things change minute to minute around here. The very next song is
‘Prophet’ and it is probably the closest the band has ever gotten
to making a radio single. It even has a pleasing chorus. To
Truckfighter’s credit even on a song like this you can still sense
the impending danger lurking under the smooth surface. The basslines
are still raw and ragged – no amount of studio polish can sand off
those rough edges.
The album ends with the eleven minute
epic ‘Mastodont’. It’s hard to say if the title is meant to
mock the band Mastodon or pay some kind of cheeky homage to their
American counterparts. Whatever the intention, the song is another
powerhouse performance that closes out Universe in style. I’m sure
many will be caught off guard by the gorgeous acoustic breakdown at
around the thirteen minute mark. Dango gets a chance to flaunt some
of his classical guitar skills.
Universe is a reasonably short album,
containing only seven tracks and clocking in at a clean 44 minutes.
The focus is on quality over quantity, an admirable trait that many
modern bands have chosen to forget. They could have easily watered
down their music (i.e. compromised it) by cramming it full of
throwaway tracks. Luckily for us they stuck to delivering just the
killer and leaving the filler on the cutting room floor.
Rating: B+
Recommended tracks: Get Lifted, Prophet
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